With tens of thousands of flights cancelled and the cost of jet fuel soaring, what impact is the conflict in the Middle East having on Irish holidaymakers?

Irish Independent Travel Editor Pol Ó Conghaile this week contacted Irish travel agents to see how we are rethinking trips to and through the Middle East, what the alternatives are, and where prices are rising.

Pol joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about all of this.

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Dodgy-box end users face legal action from Sky for the first time, the broadcaster has told the High Court.

Sky has obtained the names, addresses and bank details of 304 dodgy-box subscribers from a court case against a distributor of the services.

It says that it intends to use the information “to take legal actions against the resellers and some of the end users”.

Legal proceedings have already started against two of the 12 resellers, Sky says.

Tech Editor at The Irish Independent, Adrian Weckler, is on the line with us now to tell us more about this.

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Louth County Council is to write to the Department of Justice and the D hotel in a bid to establish the future plans for the premises.

The Drogheda hotel has been an accommodation centre for asylum seekers since March of 2024.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Labour TD for Louth, Ged Nash, to get the latest on all of this.

We also spoke to Deputy Nash about his calls for Government to to immediately introduce a 10% reduction in public transport fares and expand access to working from home.

Deputy Nash said that while the temporary cuts to excise duty are welcome in a crisis, they do not go far enough to permanently reduce costs for workers.

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Yesterday on the show we spoke to two mums, Aine and Helena, from Dunshaughlin,  who told us about how they are still unable to secure a junior infants place for their child in the Dunshaughlin.

The huge growth in population in Dunshaughlin in recent years which has seen many young families move into new housing developments in the area has led to a shortage of primary school places.

During the broadcast we received a message from another mother from Dunshaughlin named Sara, who is also a parent with no school place for her child in September. 

Sara told us that she has been forced to accept a place for her child in a school outside the area, but the logistics of it would make life very difficult for her, and Sara joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

We were also joined by Caitlín Kennedy, who is the owner of Naíonra Na Ríthe in Dunshaughlin, and she tols us about how she sees first-hand the knock-on effects this is having on local children in Dunshaughlin.

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Families are finding it increasingly difficult to get car parking close to Lourdes Hospital to drop elderly and vulnerable patients off for appointments, X-rays and medical tests.

Last week, the small car park beside the main entrance was full every day, with a line of eight to ten cars queuing to get in.

Many of the drivers said they had no choice because they had elderly relatives who couldn’t walk far and needed to be left as close as possible to the hospital.

Security staff at the hospital said they were doing their best to help patients, but the lack of car parking was an HSE issue and not their responsibility.

Senator Alison Comyn said she has received a number of complaints about the issue and will be raising it with the HSE.

Senator Comyn joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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The average rent in new tenancies in Louth now stands at €1451 per month, with an increase in eviction notices across the State of 41% between October to December compared to the same period in 2024, it has been revealed.

The standardised average rent in existing tenancies in Louth for the third quarter of 2025 was €1,230, an increase of 2.5% year on year, according to the latest RTB Directors Report.

Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Ruairí Ó Murchú said the eviction notices were ‘extremely worrying’ and ‘reflect what is being brought to my constituency office in Dundalk’.

He said that the figures ‘confirm the risk to renters’ that Sinn Féin and other opposition parties had warned the government about ahead of the adoption of new rental market rules that came into effect on March 1.

Deputy Ó Murchú joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Fianna Fail 

Councillor in Slane and Slane resident, Wayne Harding, who spoke to us about a public meeting which took place last night in Slane in relation to the announcement of a two-day concert which will take place in Slane Castle in July. 

Residents of the Slane area are concerned that the organisers of the concert have offered “little to no comfort” for residents as to how this will affect them. 

One local resident emailed LMFM yesterday in relation to the situation, and we heard all about this and about why residents are so concerned and frustrated.

We also spoke to a resident from Slane to find out what exactly is going on here and what she would like to see happen, and also about last nights public meeting.

Local Councillor Paddy Meade also joined us and expressed his frustration at only finding out about the public meeting at the last minute through local residents.

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Poor parking in Dundalk is being fuelled by motorists who are “willing to take the risk” that they will avoid penalties, a meeting of Dundalk Municipal District has heard.

Councillor Maeve Yore asked for an update on how illegal parking is being tackled, while Councillor Ciaran Fisher highlighted what he described as persistent and worsening issues in the town centre. 

He urged the council to consider widening the remit of traffic wardens so they can monitor areas just outside the pay‑parking zone, where some of the worst problems have been reported.

Councillor Fisher joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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The owners of a now-demolished house built without planning permission almost two decades ago have sworn in the High Court not to interfere with ongoing clean-up works at the site.

Chris and Rose Murray appeared before Judge Richard Humphreys yesterday after gardaí arrested them at the Four Courts on foot of a court order for their attachment.

The Murray’s arrest followed the judge’s finding that they were in civil contempt of undertakings to give Meath County Council vacant possession of their house at Faughan Hill, Bohermeen, Co Meath.

News & Investigations Correspondent at The Irish Independent, Amy Molloy, joined us on The Agenda this morning to give us all the latest on this.

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It was announced yesterday that Drogheda United owners, the Trivela Group, have removed SF Louth TD Joanna Byrne from her role with the club as co-chairperson.

Last month, Deputy Byrne claimed the club's board of directors said her position was untenable, following her statement around the Republic of Ireland v Israel fixture in the UEFA Nations League.

This morning on The Agenda Deputy Byrne spoke out for the first time since being removed as Chair of the club.

Joanna opened up to LMFM about the whole situation since it all kicked off last month, and became very emotional while talking about how much the club meant and still means to her.

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